


Married to the Job

by Persiflage



Series: Mashed Up Tropes Fics [2]
Category: Holby City
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bernie Wolfe: World's Okay-est Lesbian, F/F, Mash-up, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Trope de Trope, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26925829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persiflage/pseuds/Persiflage
Summary: Canon Divergence as Bernie's working at St James' not Holby City General Hospital.
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Series: Mashed Up Tropes Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960414
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	Married to the Job

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an Anon for the Mashed Up Tropes Meme on Tumblr, for the tropes: 59. Interrupted Declaration of Love and 84. Married to the Job
> 
> (I feel like this could be longer, but it's not.)

People complain that Bernie Wolfe is married to her job and it’s true that the trauma surgeon spends very little time outside of the hospital. Mainly she goes home to sleep and to shower, and sometimes not even to sleep if her back is torturing her too much or her PTSD has her in its tormenting grip.

Everything begins to change, however, when she bumps into Serena Campbell at a conference. The two get on like a house on fire, and while Serena’s also very driven, she has a nephew at home whose presence ensures that most days she leaves Holby City early enough to make dinner for the two of them. 

She begins inviting Bernie over for dinner: initially it’s just once a week in order to give Jason a chance to get to know the blonde, but once a week soon becomes two or three times a week, and the staff in St James’ world class trauma department begin to notice a change in their boss: she becomes a little less wedded to her work, her demeanour softens (outside of the operating theatre, at least), and she actually starts leaving work at a reasonable hour of the day.

Slowly yet inexorably, Bernie falls in love with Serena, and one day she makes up her mind to tell her friend, terrifying though the prospect is.

Jason’s gone to Allan’s for the weekend and Bernie is staying overnight at Serena’s on both Friday and Saturday. 

They have a delicious dinner – baked salmon fillets with steamed vegetables and a lovely rosé wine – and they’re in the sitting room with a second glass each of the wine when Bernie finally gets up the courage to tell Serena how she feels.

“Serena. There’s um – there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Of course.” Serena pats her knee and Bernie swallows hard, then sets down her glass on the coffee table. 

“We’ve known each other for three months and in that time I’ve grown to like you quite a lot.”

Serena chuckles. “Good. I like you, too, Bernie.”

Bernie swallows, determined to keep going. Before she can get the rest of her words out, however, there’s a thunderous knocking at the door and someone shouting Serena’s name. 

The two women exchange a worried look, then both get to their feet and hurry into the hall. Serena opens the door and finds her neighbour, Mrs Ahmed, on the doorstep in an obvious state of distress: her little girl, Aisha, has fallen down the stairs, and is bleeding from a head wound – can Serena help, she asks.

The two surgeons rush from the house and follow Mrs Ahmed into her home, where Bernie immediately goes into trauma mode.

By the time Bernie gets back to Serena's home, hours later, she’s forgotten all about her declaration of feelings for Serena. All she wants is a hot shower and sleep. Nothing else matters in this moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](https://pers-books.tumblr.com/post/631565244511272960/married-to-the-job-persiflage-holby-city)


End file.
